ASIA'S 1ST SEXTECH HACKATHON

Singapore, May 18-20

Say What?

There is Fintech, Edtech, Greentech... and of course - Sextech. According to the Guardian, sextech is estimated to be a 30 billion USD industry that is growing at 30% each year (faster than the drone industry!). This is your chance to get involved in a quickly advancing industry and collaborate with other sex geeks!

What is SexTech?

"Technology, and technology-driven ventures, designed to enhance, innovate and disrupt in every area of human sexuality and human sexual experience."

This could mean addressing challenges from access to quality sex ed to long distance relationships to disability + sex to closing the pleasure gap to third age sex... the human sexual experience is broad and diverse!

Prizes!

The following prizes will help you extend your project beyond the weekend

For who?

We welcome people of all job descriptions, whether you’re a designer, developer, marketer, entrepreneur, project manager, therapist or sexologist. Diverse groups often work incredibly well together to produce the best results.

In particular, if you identify with any of the below - WE WANT YOU!

You have an opinion/idea on sexual wellness

You consider yourself to be inclusive and open to new perspectives

You are ready to shake things up

You are passionate about making change

Apply for the SoGal Scholarship

There's only a short time left!

SoGal Ventures are sponsoring female-identified leaders to attend the sextech hackathon in Singapore this weekend, May 18–20.

The deadline for scholarship applications is noon, Thursday May 17. Apply here.

So How?

How does a sextech hackathon work, you ask?

First, unlike other hackathons, this is not a techy hackathon. If you code, great! If you don't know how to code, that's ok too! This is about coming together to solve challenges in the world of sexual wellness. "Hacking" will take place over a weekend where participants will collaborate intensively on creating sextech products - this might look like a prototype, a design, a campaign or a concept.

Participants will also have the opportunity to attend SPARK Fest on Day 2 of the hackathon to learn more from the various talks, brands and art. It is also an opportunity to test out ideas with festival goers (see Hackathon format on the registration page for more details).

Meet some of our industry speakers, mentors & judges

SANDERIJN VAN DER DOEF, Psychologist & Sexologist (Netherlands) Sanderijn is an international expert and leading authority in the field of sexual development and sexuality education of children and young people. Since 2008, she has worked regularly in China to train trainers and teachers in sexuality education.

MOHAN BELANI, Co-founder and CEO of e27 (SG)

Mohan believes that startups can make the world a better place, and in order for Southeast Asia's tech ecosystem to be relevant, it needs to be driven by sustainable and impactful companies solving problems at scale. He enjoys working with Founders and helping them alleviate the challenges of building great companies specifically around the areas of talent, funding and market access.

DEMA TIO, Founder of Vibease (SG) Founder of Vibease, the world’s first smart vibrator. Vibease has gained recognition from the tech industry including Crunchies Awards 2013 nomination and Best luxury toys of 2015 nomination. His vision is to make the world a better place through sex-positive and technology.

KANIKA AGARWAL, Founder of Fempeers (SG)

One of the youngest serial entrepreneur of her generation who runs three start-ups stemming out of her personal passion in women health and digital. She has been honored by Global Women Economic Forum as an Exceptional Women of Excellence and also won the BERG Women Icon Award 2017. Listed as the top most inspiring entrepreneur by many publications including e27 and Tech in Asia.

SAM ZHAO, Founder of Yummy (China) Sam founded Yummy based on one simple idea: for all of us, every woman, to feel comfortable about our own life, and confident about our desires. A community of over 2 million people, Yummy has been covered by media including, the Southern Weekly, CCTV, Wall Street Journal.

ARNAUD BONZOM, Co-Founder of Map of Money (SG)

Co-founder of Map of the Money, an organization that helps entrepreneurs to raise funds in Southeast Asia. Arnaud is also the author of The Asia Funding / M&A Newsletter and the Singapore startup ecosystem and entrepreneur toolbox.

MATTIAS HULTING, Founder of Ramblin's Brands (SG) With 10+ years of experience in the beauty care business across Scandinavia and Asia, Mattias is revolutioning consumer categories that have room to grow. Smile Makers, the company’s first brand, is doing that in the sexual wellness industry.

SARA TANG, Creator of the Better in Bed Podcast (HK)

Sara is a sex educator and pleasure coach. Having received an inadequate sex education growing up, she founded Sarasense (sarasense.com) to provide tools and resources for people to have a more satisfying sex life. Currently based in Hong Kong, she has previously been a student of human sexuality at Stanford University

FAQs

+ Do I need to know how to code / need to be tech-y?

No! If you know how to code - that's great. If you don't, you can definitely still participate. In fact, a good team actually consists of people with different skills and backgrounds. Ultimately, it is more important that you come with a desire to think outside the box and solve challenges in the sexual wellness space.

+ What skills are needed on a team?

You need a mix of skills – what we call the “four Hs”:

Hipsters: People with good design skills. They need user experience, graphic design and web skills. They will give you an edge

Hustlers: These are the business focused people who can pitch your story and close your deals. Without a hustler you don’t stand a chance

Humanitarian: Someone who can bring a social conscience to your project. This ensures that you are engaging the right communities and stakeholders and placing the user story at the centre of the solution you are developing

Hackers: People who can code or build things. Sometimes you need more than one of these

You don't need to arrive with all of these skills. Part of the fun of opening night is to complete / form a team!

+ Do I need a team to register?

No, you can join or create a team at the event. Part of opening night is to get acquainted with the other participants and we will / can help you form teams.

+ How big is a typical team?

The best size team is between 3 and 5. If you have 6 or more in your team, we may break you up. We do so because we know that high performing teams are smaller and more nimble.

+ Can I bring a team to the hackathon?

Absolutely! It can be fun to meet and work with new people during a hackathon, but it’s also fun to work with people you know.

+ Are there themes and challenges for the event?

Yes there are. In the week leading up to the event we will be emailing you a “hackpack” that contains all the essential information about the event including:

Problem statements: these help you understand the challenges we want to solve. It also helps you understand what the judges are looking for in your solutions

Event logistics: information about how to get to the event and any access issues

Data, research and insight: where we have it, we will share data, research into the challenges areas and insights that will help you create an amazing MVP

+ What is an MVP?

Glad you asked! It stands for “minimum viable product” – the smallest possible solution that helps you prove out your business model. It can take the shape of a compelling pitch, an amazing prototype – or best yet – a working demonstration of your concept.

+ Is a hackathon about hacking?

No – there is nothing illegal in our hackathons. “Hackathon” is short for “hacking marathon” – an event that is about creating or “hacking together” new solutions in unique ways over an extended period of time.

+ Can we hack overnight?

We send you home late afternoon of Day 1 (Saturday). We do this because we find you can be more relaxed and productive in your own environment. It also means that you produce better MVPs than we all stay together overnight.

+ Are there mentors?

Yes, we provide you with subject matter experts and mentors. They will help you build better solutions – but only if you listen to them and take their advice. Of course, choosing the best advice is always difficult

+ What if I can’t find a team? Can I still compete?

Yes, though it is more fun to work with others. We have never seen a one-person team win a hackathon – though maybe you are the one!

+ Do I have to build something related to the problem statement?

There are no hard and fast rules – but the judges will be assessing your MVPs according to the problem statements. You are more likely to rate well if you are tackling a known problem.

+ Who owns the IP?

The IP is owned by the team. How you divide that up is up to you. The sponsors of the event may want to talk to you about commercialising your IP if it meets their needs. We can always help with that.

+ Can we bring a solution that we have prepared earlier?

You are welcome to bring frameworks etc to help accelerate your work. But the hackathon is about creating new solutions to challenges – not pitching an existing product. The judges will mark you down if you come with something that is obviously pre-produced

+ What if I can't make the opening night on Friday?

While we encourage everyone to attend the briefing we understand that it’s sometimes not possible. No problems! We will match you with a team and with the right support to make your participation something to remember!